Christmas was one month ago yet there are some Willow Glen residents that still have their Christmas lights hanging proudly on their homes.

Why is that? Too busy? Somehow the lights made it on the house promptly after Thanksgiving but there seems to be no motivation to take them down again.

A young entrepreneur could make a fortune taking down Christmas lights for those people too elderly or too lazy to take them down themselves. I would suggest $5 a house either willingly or billed to you.

Willow Glen is such a unique place to live. We pay higher prices to live in a beautiful community and most residents take pride in their homes. How can it be that some people who leave Christmas lights up year-round don't consider that blight?

I encourage all residents to display their Christmas decorations appropriately around the holiday season. No sooner and no later.

S. Keller

Willow Glen

The unions, not lack of
funds, hurting schools

Betsy Wolf-Graves wants to change Proposition 13 tax rules in order to increase tax revenues from commercial properties ("A new look at property tax would help schools," Speak Out, Jan. 26). What she apparently forgets is that businesses effectively do not pay taxes. They (a) pass the added cost onto their customers through increased prices or cost reductions that frequently mean lower employee pay or even job cuts; (b) move to a more business friendly place, such as Nevada or India; or (c) go out of business.

Our schools are failing not because of a lack of funds, but because education labor unions protect incompetent personnel and foster mediocrity through arcane work rules and pay based upon seniority rather than merit.

It also does not help that many students come from broken homes where there is a lack of structure, respect and discipline, let alone any teaching of right from wrong or respect for a good education.

Until schools are subject to accountability and parents take a greater role in their kids' education, it is doubtful that there will be significant improvements in the quality of public school education.

Jerry Mungai

San Jose

Well-balanced coverage
delineates Alano issues

Thanks so much to the Willow Glen Resident and reporter Alicia Upano for delivering a great article on Jan. 26 regarding the Alano Club West.

The well-balanced report explained the views of all parties involved including those of surrounding businesses, the half-property owner, the Alano Club itself as well as those of surrounding neighbors. Clearly a great deal of work went into investigating this issue that's important to the entire community.

The Resident's article can be contrasted with the article written by David Beck and printed in the San Jose Mercury News on Jan. 14, which presented me as a singular complainant, who has required the Alano Club to apply for a conditional use permit. It's a good way to sell newspapers but a poor way to communicate news that's of critical importance to the community at large.

Alcoholism has touched my family's life very closely and we believe the service the club provides is invaluable. We should be working as a community to ensure the club continues to provide its critical services. That being said, the club does not have the right to operate outside of the laws that apply to the other businesses in Willow Glen.

Let's work together to get an appropriate conditional use permit put in place so the Alano Club, the local businesses and the local neighbors can interact harmoniously for the benefit of the entire community.

Chris and Sherry Piekarski

Iris Court

Upside down flag sends
un-American message

I am writing about a Willow Glen resident living on Coe Avenue who continues to hang his American Flag upside down.

Every day I drive down Coe with my three children and try to provide answers to their questions as to why the residences haven't fixed their flag yet. Yes my kids just assume that it is an innocent mistake.

Maybe I am more cynical, or maybe it has something to do with the belittling signs regarding our president, leading me to believe this Willow Glen resident is trying to protest the recent inauguration of George W. Bush. Regardless of political affiliation, I see the signs and the upside down American flag as very immature and cry-baby type of behavior.

Yes, I understand that this person is trying to make a statement, but America has spoken and Bush is in office for another four years so why doesn't this individual grow up and hang his or her flag in a respectable manner. Or if this person is so unhappy then why doesn't that individual pack up and try living in another country.

Kara Jones

Hartford Avenue

Calligraphy story hits
the mark for seniors

The Willow Glen Resident's Jan. 26 story on Shirley Chen and the Chinese brush class at the Willows Senior Center was a big hit with the seniors and all the students here. The paper was completely out by noon today.

Thank you for a wonderful article. And thank you for all the coverage on the Willows Senior Center.

Nasario M Gutierrez Jr.

Gerontology Specialist, Willows Senior Center